Library Board to West Side Residents

[our2cents]

I read the news release and it all makes perfect sense to purchase that property.  Their mission is to be the Mahoning COUNTY library not the Youngstown CITY library.  They have a strategic plan that they are following. 

The name of the library is Library of YOUNGSTOWN & MAHONING COUNTY.  That name sure states they're both.  It's just a shame they don't want anything to do with the city's future.  With all these schools around here, you would think they would try to make something work here for those children.

[Rick Rowlands]

I read the news release and it all makes perfect sense to purchase that property.  Their mission is to be the Mahoning COUNTY library not the Youngstown CITY library.  They have a strategic plan that they are following. 

[irishbobcat]

No money to fix a Youngstown city library, but $15,000 more money on hand to buy land in Canfield....

Makes no sense to me.....

Again, another sign of taking from the poor and giving to the rich......

What a sad state of affairs and values we live with today......

[our2cents]

Aren't they going to build another new library in Canfield?  This may be a rumor, but I've heard that they already purchased land.  Can anyone verify this?

If this is true, maybe they should have put that money into the west side library instead of buying land?

They say they're not planning on building soon, but they did buy the land...it's in their own news release:
http://www.libraryvisit.org/news031209.htm

[irishbobcat]

It costs 3 times more to heat new larger libraries than the old libraries that are
closed. Plus you are still buying muliple copies of books when you merge branches.

There is no savings.....just more costs//////

Ask any school district that built central schools and torn down smaller schools...
costs still went up......

This is what has happened in every district I have worked in where fancy new facilities have been built.

Struthers went from 5 schools down to 3 schools and our utility costs went up
$300,000......

I have more knowledge of these matters than you do towntalk......

[northside lurker]

Aren't they going to build another new library in Canfield?  This may be a rumor, but I've heard that they already purchased land.  Can anyone verify this?

If this is true, maybe they should have put that money into the west side library instead of buying land?

[Towntalk]

For an educator and school board member your attitude amazes me, and by the way the coffee shops are not "Wal-Mart Mega" Coffee shops.

Do you even have any concept of how much it costs to run the library ( Costs of new books, magazines etc. ) None of these things come cheap. Then when you take all the other expenses into consideration you're starting to talk bug money.

[Rick Rowlands]

Yeah sure Dennis.  Vote down the library levy so they have to shut down several more libraries.  That makes a lot of sense! What you should remember the next time the levy is up for renewal is that a no vote guarantees more libraries will close.

The County library only makes X amount of money from the property tax, and tax recipts are down right now.  That means that there is not enough cash to continue to keep every library open.  There is no other choice but to make some tough decisions about the future of the library system, and close down these underperforming libraries to save the more frequently used ones. It is so very simple for me to understand and I don't know why its so difficult for others to realize.  Obviously too many novels and CDs are being checked out of West and not enough economics textbooks.

[irishbobcat]

Maybe that's why it's called the Mahoning County Libraries.....caused you are going to have to drive all over Mahoning County to get to one of their new
Wal-Mart Mega Coffee sipping shop libraries that are a lot more expensive to operate than the current buildings they keep closing down.....

Remember these closings when the library board asks you for more tax dollars on their next levy!

[jay]

This is a bad precedent on the part of the board.  All citizens of Mahoning County pay property taxes to support the library system.  Will each community be asked to raise money to support its home library?  Campbell, Struthers, and Brownlee Woods libraries will be next.

[northside lurker]

How easy is it to raise $3300 +/- a day, everyday, for 2 months?  Is this reasonable?

[Rick Rowlands]

Excellent.  Now you have your mandate!

Who will be heading up the fundraising committee?  Will someone here take direct action to raise 200K to save the library?  Put your money where your mouth is!

[jay]

Essentially, this is the attitude of the library board.

If you want to keep the West Side Library open,

You raise the money to operate it.

You raise the money to repair it.

You have only two months.